Fishing For Love
by PurpleSkye
Summary: It's summer and the students and faculty of Alice Academy had gone on a field trip/vacation. When you're on a privately owned tropical island, there's just a lot to do! Wonder what Ruka and Hotaru did?


**A/N: **_Here's my first Gakuen Alice fanfic and it's a one-shot! Thanks to hannahfinella-chan for helping me with this! :D Enjoy this Rukaru fluff! :)_

**DISCLAIMER: **_I don't own Gakuen Alice nor its characters; only the plot is mine._

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What could one do on a hot summer day? Going to the beach was a fine idea the principal of Alice Academy had come up with. Both students and teachers alike were very excited about it.

There was tons of fun stuff to do to keep you cool at the beach. Some students enjoyed the cool waves and swam in the vast ocean while others luxuriated under the shade of their umbrellas in peaceful silence. Most of the younger students had teamed up to make the biggest and most beautiful sand castle ever built. Another game which had developed teamwork was a match between teachers versus their students playing beach volleyball. There was just so much to do.

However, Hotaru Imai – a dark-haired girl of thirteen years - had the most creative and unique plan to spend her three-days stay on this doughnut-shaped island belonging to Alice Academy's headmaster. It was such a waste to frolic about in your bathing suits, at least, in her own opinion. Unlike her best friend, Mikan Sakura, Hotaru took life way too seriously.

**SNAP!**

**SNAP! SNAP!**

**SNAP!**

Unbeknownst to Ruka Nogi – a blonde young boy in the same class as Hotaru – pictures of his leisure time in the majestic tropical island were taken for sale. As he stood on the wooden docks talking with his fish friends and also fishing for some kind of treasure underneath the water's surface, Hotaru captured each moment on her water-proof camera.

She hid behind one of the poles which supported the bridge-like port so that Ruka wouldn't notice her. If he ever would, it was easy for her to submerge into the sea and escape, anyway. As usual, her plans were fool-proof.

**SNAP!**

**SNAP! SNAP!**

**SNAP!**

'This should be enough for Ruka Nogi's Summer Collection. . . .' Hotaru was very much satisfied with the results of that day's photo shoot while Ruka remained clueless.

**SNAP!**

After taking one last photograph, Hotaru let herself sink below the surface. With a small smile on her normally stoic face, she swam lithely towards the shore.

"Hey! I think I caught some_thing_!"

How strange. There was a force that halted her progress to land. Somehow even if she willed her legs to swim onwards, it didn't seem as if she moved at all. She thrashed about in a panic, using as much force as she could. She wasn't going to give in to the restraining force upon her.

'_Whose Alice is this?' _Hotaru thought in deep wonder.

After minutes of ceaseless struggling, she was finally released. She felt relieved that she got away safely. In fact, she actually felt lighter after putting so much effort. But there was also something horribly wrong with this sudden weightlessness.

Realization dawned upon her a second too late. As she looked down onto her thirteen-year-old body, she found out that she was missing something terribly important.

"What's this?" Ruka hastily reeled in the unfamiliar purple _thing_ he was able to fish out.

He carefully examined the stringy object with much scrutiny. Now that he looked at it more closely, that it was a. . . .

If she could scream under water with that mouthpiece giving her oxygen on, she would have done just that. It was impossible, though, and so she could only express her distress with an unconscious blush.

"A bikini top?" alarm was evident in his tone.

Acting based on her instincts (that was not to embarrass herself), she hurriedly swam to the most disserted part of the island. At least there in the South Coastal Forest, she would encounter no one.

**-[+]-**

Back in the docks where Ruka still stood, animals of every kind had started to gather. He wanted their help in locating the owner of the top he had accidentally hooked. Using his Animal Pheromone Alice made the search a hell of a lot easier for him.

"Look for the girl who wears something that matches this." Ruka told the bunch of animals he was able to make friends with.

After showing them what they needed to find, Ruka pocketed the article of clothing. Having nothing else to do and feeling obliged to do the right thing, he opted to aid his animal friends on their valiant quest.

**-[+]-**

Hotaru rose from under the water, searching for a place where she could be sure no one could find her. Even though it was obvious that she was all alone (because she had gone far south, away from the civilization), she walked briskly and cautiously with both of her arms protectively covering her bare front. She wasn't going to take any chances.

After wandering aimlessly through the thick foliage, she finally discovered the perfect place to hide at least until she figured out a plan to get out of this pitiful predicament. It was most probably near impossible for someone to roam this far into the forest.

She inspected the cave from the outside, trying to see as far as she could for any sign of life. A flutter of wings startled her into coming in despite the possibility of a bear inhabiting the cavern. She stopped only when she could no longer see or even hear anything but the tiny drops of water coming in from the ceiling. That was when she realized that she was just being paranoid. How pathetic.

Well, at least, she was sure now that the cave was empty save for herself. She sat down behind a huge boulder; she was terribly exhausted. After swimming quite a distance and running around inside the forest, she was bound to tire herself out.

But now that she was safe from prying eyes, she had to start figuring out how she could get herself out of this shameful situation.

**-[+]-**

Ruka's search for the owner of the bikini that was accidentally put in his possession was not going as well as he planned. Surely, if someone did lose it, she should be back in the hotel by now. . . .shouldn't she? He couldn't imagine how a girl could walk around topless so why couldn't he find her? None of the girls outside seemed to have a match with the one in his pocket right now.

He was on the verge of quitting. Perhaps she really was back at the hotel already. However, he had tried asking the receptionist and she told him none of the students have come in since morning. He could only hope that his animal friends were doing a better job than he was.

Abruptly, as if on cue, a very colorful tropical bird flew towards him. It rested lightly onto Ruka's shoulder and excitedly told him about the girl it had seen earlier.

"Where is she?" he asked his feathery friend.

The bird took flight immediately which sort of told Ruka that he should follow. And that he did. It lead him farthest south of the oddly shaped island where no human has ever ventured in before. The only living things inhabiting the place were the wild animals and a lot of plant life. Ruka found himself wondering what a girl would do in a place like this unless she was lost. But if this girl was the one he was looking for, this wasn't the last place he'd think to look. What good could hiding do?

Alas, the bird once again perched on his shoulder. Its beak gestured forward, pointing to the insides of a dark cave. He raised one slender brow as he inched cautiously into the mouth of the cavern. This really wasn't a place for ladies.

"Hello? Is anybody in here?" Ruka called out, his words echoing loudly.

At first, no one answered and so he doubted that anyone was really there. But as he stepped forward to take a closer look, a monotonous voice pierced the dead silence.

"Don't come any closer."

Hotaru found herself in a bind. Someone managed to discover her whereabouts and of all the people that could have found her, it just had to be Ruka Nogi. If it wasn't for him, she wouldn't even be here in the first place.

What was he doing here, anyway? Did he come to rub it in her face? Hiding out here in the cold was torture enough. Hotaru couldn't handle anymore.

"Imai?" he sounded startled.

He wasn't expecting her that was for sure. So perhaps she had misjudged him. Maybe he only wanted to return _it_. But now that he knew who it belonged to, he might not want to give it back, not after all that she had done to him.

"Leave. Now." It wasn't a request but a demand.

"I came to. . . .help you." Ruka replied, choosing his words very carefully, as he moved steps closer to where she was hidden. She didn't like that.

"Stay where you are." If she were any other girl, that would have been an angry scream. However, Hotaru Imai was an extraordinary girl.

"I know what's wrong and why you're here so I'm here to set it right." Ruka explained himself.

He didn't listen to her. She never listened to him so why should he follow what she says? Hotaru wouldn't let him see her in this state, though. It was too embarrassing. She'd do anything to keep him away.

"Imai, I need to give you something." Ruka was stubbornly trying to be good.

Only one thing came to Hotaru's mind to maintain her distance to him. Grabbing the first stone she could get her hands on, she aimed blindly and threw it at him.

THUMP.

The sound that came next told her that she was able to hit her target and even knock him out of consciousness. But was it really safe for her to come out now?

She stood up slowly and took a small peak. Ruka was indeed down on the ground with a swelling lump on his forehead. He really seemed to be unconscious. However, it was not Ruka's face that caught Hotaru's attention. There was a purple cloth she saw sticking out of his shorts' pocket. She quickly retrieved it and put it back on. Her problem was solved. She needn't hide out here anymore. She felt utterly relieved.

**-[+]-**

"IMAI?!" Ruka's angered shouts could be heard all over the resort's hotel.

The girl in question didn't seem to be as bothered as the others around that knew her. She was perfectly at ease whilst eating the second serving of her favorite dish.

"I knew I'd find you here!" Ruka declared as he made quite an entrance into the dining hall.

He was obviously mad at something Hotaru did. Their friends figured she had taken secret photographs of him and made money out of them. . . .again. What startled them was how angry Ruka looked and that conspicuous bandage wrapped around his forehead.

Hotaru wouldn't hurt him, though, would she?Everyone was curious even though no one dared to ask.

"Can I have a word with you, Imai?"

She didn't even look at him when she responded with a simple nod of her head.

"Privately." Ruka added, when Hotaru didn't make any efforts to move.

He couldn't wait for an answer so he just grabbed her by the wrist and dragged her off her seat and out of sight.

"What do you want?" Hotaru inquired, upset that he had disturbed her dinner.

"An apology." Ruka answered, straightforward.

"What for?" Hotaru asked; she was either feigning ignorance or she was truly oblivious to the feelings of others. The latter seemed to be a more apt description for her.

"In fact, you should also thank me for getting your top back." He continued, completely ignoring her query.

"It was your fault in the first place." Hotaru didn't seem grateful at all.

"How is it my fault?!" he demanded, appalled.

"Weren't you the one who fished it off of me." Hotaru told him, her tone matter-of-fact. She was right.

"That was an accident! At least I had the decency to return it to you but you threw a rock at me!" Ruka countered, pointing to the sore spot on his forehead.

"I told you not to come near me." Hotaru retorted indifferently.

"Okay, so I deserved that." Ruka conceded, though she hasn't won their argument. "But why did you just leave me back there?"

"There was no way I could have carried you back here all by myself." Hotaru answered him truthfully.

"You could have asked for someone's help once you got back here!" Ruka wasn't about to just let this issue be forgotten without any proper apology.

"If you're done. . . ." Hotaru began in her monotone. "I'm still quite hungry."

Ruka simply glared at her for not taking him seriously. All he was asking for was a sincere apology – was that too much to ask? Hotaru took his silence as her cue to leave but he wasn't done with her yet. He held on tight to her hand and pulled her back.

"Just say you're sorry." Ruka whispered.

"Why does it matter so much to you?" Hotaru asked, confused.

"Just. . . ." he didn't want to sound so desperate in front Hotaru but, "Just do it please."

He knew it was a lost cause and expected her to leave at once. He even loosened his grip but she remained as she was seemingly in deep thought.

"I'm sorry." She muttered in an almost inaudible whisper.

He was glad; more than she could probably comprehend; and much more than he had ever felt in his entire life. Her apology meant that she cared. That was the only thing he wanted to know. Unconsciously, his grip on her tightened and even as she tried to break it off she was no match for his strength.

"What else do you want?" Hotaru questioned, perplexed. She did what he asked her already, couldn't she go yet?

"You. . . ." he mumbled as he wrapped his arms around her in a tight embrace.

Shock made her body rigid but as she slowly digested the thought of his confession, the tension was washed away. It was actually an unthought-of gesture when she hugged him back. That was her only response to him, but he didn't need any words for him to know her answer. It was enough.

He pulled away to look at her face. Even after all that, the stoic mask was still on. But Ruka was determined to change that. He leaned in for a kiss. Slowly, he moved his face closer until. . . .

CRASH!

A large branch fell from the nearest tree creating such a ruckus. Screams of pain and even curse words filled the air, leaving the two dumbstruck. The group of teens smiled innocently at the pair as if they hadn't been eavesdropping. They waited for Hotaru's wrath to come expectantly.

"What a bunch of idiots." Natsume Hyuuga stated, smirking; he was the only one who was able to keep himself from falling off the tree.

**BAKA! BAKA! BAKA! BAKA! BAKA! BAKA! BAKA!**

Hotaru shot at all of them with her infamous _Baka Gun_. They were all idiots. Yes, even Ruka.


End file.
